


Not the Only Fox

by ArtemiStorm



Series: Neopolis Canon Arc 1: Origins [3]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Cute, Family Fluff, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Hugs, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Rotor is Alaska Native, Rotor is a good friend, Short & Sweet, Tails can't sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23209732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemiStorm/pseuds/ArtemiStorm
Summary: 7-year-old Tails has a bad day and has trouble sleeping. Luckily, Rotor know's just the thing to do.
Series: Neopolis Canon Arc 1: Origins [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813618
Kudos: 14





	Not the Only Fox

It hadn’t been a good day for Tails. His whole day was set off kilter by the nightmares he’d had the night before. The whole day he was sluggish, tired, and cranky. At lunch recess, he’d gotten into a fight with Danny Dingo and got sent home early. In the Burrow, while the rest of the Freedom Fighters were getting ready for their night mission, Tails proved to be a royal pain, being uncooperative and melting into tears and yelling at the slightest provocation. At dinner, he’d had a major meltdown. It was everything Sonic and Sally could do to wrestle him into bed and he cried himself to sleep.

Rotor volunteered to stay back with Tails while the others carried on with the night’s low-risk nighttime scouting op. Sonic felt guilty for leaving Tails, but Sally reminded him that all he really needed right now was to sleep.

“I’ve got this,” Rotor said. “I’ll hold down the fort. You guys go and kick butt.”

Rotor settled down to write a technical manual for how to build and repair avionics equipment. Hours passed. It was a quiet night so far. The op was going well, radio chatter was kept to a minimum. Tails seemed to sleep soundly—no nightmares so far. Rotor kept his fingers crossed.

Rotor looked up from the technical manual he was falling asleep in. He felt… a presence in the room. A slight disturbance in the local magnetic field. Rotor looked around. Tails stood yawning in the doorway wrapped in a blanket.

“Hey Tails, what are you doing up?”

“I’m thirsty,” he said with a whiney edge to his voice. Rotor glanced at the time, a quarter to one in the morning. The others still had four more hours before they were due to return. 

“Would you like some hot chocolate?” He asked. Tails nodded. Rotor tidied up his desk then waddled to the kitchen, limping slightly, as his left foot had fallen asleep. Tails padded silently after him, the corner of his blanket trailing on the tile floor behind him like a third tail.

Tails perched on a stool as Rotor set a small pot of milk to heat on the stove. Tails looked so sleepy that Rotor thought he might drape himself over the counter and fall back asleep. But alas, no such luck. 

“Whipped cream?” Rotor asked. Tails nodded then changed his mind. “Actually, no.”

“No thanks?” Rotor prompted.

“No thanks.” Tails repeated.

Rotor brought over two mugs of hot chocolate. Tails reached out with both hands. His blanket fell off his shoulders and hung off his lap and the stool. Rotor handed him a mug, set his down on the counter, and re-draped the blanket over his shoulders.

“Have you been sleeping alright tonight?” Rotor asked. Tails nodded.

“No nightmares?”

“No nightmares. No dreams at all.”

Rotor was satisfied with that answer. With any luck, tomorrow would be a much better day. Tails blue eyes flicked up from his cocoa and watched Rotor like he wanted to say something. Rotor pretended not to notice.

“Rotor?” Tails asked. 

“Yes, Tails?”

“Are there any foxes where you are from?”

It dawned on Rotor. Maybe that was what yesterday was all about. It bothered Tails a lot that he was now the only fox in the valley. It made him feel lonely and sad to think about it.

“Yes, there are. Many foxes.” Rotor said warmly. “Arctic foxes, silver foxes, black foxes, brown foxes, and even red foxes. The Shila Fox Tribe is famous throughout all of Arctica.”

“Really?” Tails brightened.

“Sure! The Shila foxes are a cheerful bunch—maybe the happiest tribe out of all the Northern Peoples. They are always playing and having fun, but they are also good workers, very clever and fast.”

“Can we go see them? I want to meet them. Maybe my family is there!” A shadow crossed Rotor’s face and he felt a pang of sadness.

“Maybe someday.” Rotor wasn’t sure if they ever could. He was banished. He wasn’t allowed to return. There was no telling when he would be allowed to. His heart ached dully as he thought of his mother, Aka, and his little brother, Dash, whom he’d left behind.

“Oh,” Tails said perceiving Rotor’s sadness and reluctance. In grown-up language, Tails knew Rotor was saying “I don’t think so.” He wondered why but didn't ask. Grownups don't like talking about sad things to kids. He looked back at his mug and swirled the hot chocolate in circles. Rotor felt guilty for disappointing him. What could he do to turn around this situation? He had an idea. 

“Hey!” He said as a sly smile crept across his face. “I have something to show you.” Tails perked up and looked at him curiously. 

“Do you want to see?” Rotor’s eyes twinkled.

“Yes,” Tails said hopefully. Rotor stood set his empty mug in the sink.

“Are you done with that?” He pointed to Tails’ hot chocolate. The fox looked at it indecisively before nodding. Rotor put it in the sink as well. 

“Let’s go on a little night adventure!” He said and swept Tails off the stool in his arms. Tails giggled and snuggled into the blanket against Rotor’s chest. Rotor carried him back into the radio room.

Rotor wondered if he even needed to bring a handheld radio with him. The desktop radio’s computer program indicated that the timestamp of the last radio transmission was from over an hour and a half ago. What was the likelihood that he would be needed in the next twenty minutes? Rotor’s hand wavered over the radio for a few seconds before he decided to take one anyway. He knew ops could go from perfect to terrible in a heartbeat. He clipped the handheld radio to his belt and headed out the door.

The night was cool but not cold. The village was dark, but not scary. More like… peaceful. Snuggled against the wide warm chest of the powerful walrus, Tails felt safe. Rotor carried him along the road northward, between the orchards and the fields to the northern edge of the village. Looking out, Tails and Rotor saw the small golden lights flickering on the houses of the village below and the city beyond. The world was quiet except for the gentle shushing of the sea breeze in the pines.

Rotor turned his vision upward to the heavens and scanned the sky. His yearned to catch a glimpse of the green gowns of The Lady of the Lights, his People’s deity who often danced in the northern skies at night, but she rarely ventured this far south. But even so, even though he was so far from home the constellations were still there. They were still with him, unbothered by the southerly latitude. Then he found what he was looking for. Rotor pointed. Tails looked up. 

“See that cluster of stars up there?”

“Yeah.”

“My people call that constellation Kaguyagat. Which means the Red Fox.”

“Really!?”

“That’s right. You are not the only fox in the valley.”

“Wow!” 

“Anytime you feel lonely, you can look up to the sky—look for The Red Fox! And remember, you are not alone.” Tails giggled with joy. 

“Yay! I’m not the only fox! There’s a fox in the sky, too!” They stood quietly watching the sky for a little while longer. Then Rotor slowly walked along the edge of the forest, almost reaching the lentil farm before heading down the hill. He made a wide, slow circle around Oak Village back to the Burrow. He did so partly to enjoy the night, just like the long beautiful night he swam through on his journey to the valley, and partly to lull Tails back to sleep.

Back in the Burrow, he gently tucked the boy in bed. As he sat on the edge of the bed brushing his bangs away

He couldn’t give Tails back his family, he couldn’t give him another tribe of foxes to be a part of, but maybe he could give him a little hope and comfort, the same hope and comfort that helped Rotor endure his exile. Rotor stood, left the room, and closed the door. 

‘Yes,’ he whispered to himself. ‘Tomorrow will be a better day.’

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to post this for a while because it takes place later on in my canon and is part of a series/collection I haven't started yet. But I was really feeling the need to write it today and I think it is a cute story, so here you go. Enjoy.


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